[co-author: Beth Khinchuk]

In June the Supreme Court enforced temporarily President Trump’s travel ban to the extent it excludes persons without a “bona fide relationship” to a person or entity in the U.S. The Court expressly identified wives and mothers-in-law as persons who have a bona fide family relationship to a person in the U.S.  Following the Court’s decision, the Trump administration interpreted “bona fide relationship” narrowly, to include only fiancés, spouses, children, parents and siblings of the U.S. person. On July 13 a federal judge in Hawaii loosened the travel ban by entering a nationwide injunction that orders the Trump administration to exempt from the ban grandparents, grandchildren, aunts, uncles, brothers-in-law, sisters-in-law, nieces, nephews, and cousins of persons in the U.S. U.S. District Judge Derrick Watson criticized the Administration’s narrow definition of bona fide family relationship as “the antithesis of common sense,” which “dictates that close family members be defined to include grandparents.”

Additionally, Judge Watson enjoined enforcement of the ban to the extent it excludes from entry refugees who have formal assurance from a U.S. resettlement agency. Judge Watson reasoned that such assurance “meets each of the Supreme Court’s touchstones: it is formal, it is a documented contract, it is binding, it triggers responsibilities and obligations, including compensation, it is issued specific to an individual refugee only when that refugee has been approved for entry by the Department of Homeland Security, and it is issued in the ordinary course, and historically has been for decades…Bona fide does not get any more bona fide than that.”

Immediately, the Justice Department appealed Judge Watson’s ruling to the Ninth Circuit and simultaneously filed motion papers with the Supreme Court requesting clarification. In its motion, the Justice Department argues that Judge Watson’s interpretation of the travel ban “empties the Court’s decision of meaning,” because it includes “not just ‘close’ family members, but virtually all family members…Treating all of these relationships as ‘close familial relationship[s]’ reads the term ‘close’ out of the Court’s decision.” The Justice Department asked the Court to stay the effective date of the Hawaii court’s order until the Court resolved the motion to clarify the Court’s June ruling. The Justice Department’s motion, which remains pending, may be viewed here.